Embodiments of the present invention relate to wired headphones. More specifically, the present invention relates to wired headphones having the ability to be stored in a configuration with reduced tangling tendency and methods thereof.
The inventors of the present invention have had many instances when they removed headphones (e.g. ear bud-type headphones) from a storage location (e.g. a pocket, a backpack), the headphones are tangled in a large mass of wires. In some instances, the inventors habe had to spend minutes untangling a headphone cord before they can even use them. Accordingly, the inventors desired a headphone that had a reduced tendency to tangle.
The inventors are aware of some methods used to try to reduce the amount of tangling of headphone wires. One such technique has been to use thicker headphone wires and/or thicker wire insulation. A similar technique has been to use flat ribbon-type headphone wires that have a great deal of stiffness. The inventors believe that thick headphone cords (wires and insulation) are designed to be stiff so that it is difficult for one part of the cord to get tangled with another part of the cord. An example of such a headphone is sold by Monster, Inc. under the brand name “Heartbeats by Lady Gaga.”
Drawbacks to such approaches are believed to include that the headphone cords may be so stiff that is makes the headphones uncomfortable for a user to wear. For example, when the user moves a portable music player from their jeans pocket to their shirt pocket, the stiff cables may undesirably curve and protrude into the user's face, protrude out of a jacket, or the like. Additionally, the headphones cannot be discreetly worn. As another drawback, from a manufacturer's point of view, it is believed that increasing the wire thickness, insulation thickness, etc, undesirably drives up the material cost of such headphones.
Another method used has been to provide a “wire pull” similar to a bolo tie between the headphone wires attached to each headphone element (e.g. ear bud). In operation, such a wire pull is used to draw the headphones together before they are stored.
Drawbacks to such approaches are believed to include that tangling of headphones is still a problem. Based upon the inventor's own experience with headphone cords having such a wire pull, the amount of tangling of wires is still quite high. Further, these wire pulls tend to slide-away from the headphones (allowing the headphones to come apart) with the same amount of force as it takes for the user to slide the wire pull up towards the headphones. Accordingly, such wire pulls often slide away from the headphones and thus fail to even keep the ear buds together.
Yet another set of drawbacks includes that some headphones include microphones positioned near the user's mouth, along the length of the headphone wire that interferes with the wire pull. If the wire pull is simply located below the position of the microphone, the ear buds are subject to the same amount of tangling as described above. If the wire pull is located above where the microphones are typically located (by the user's jaw), there is not enough free headphone wire to reach the user's ears. Further, if the wire pull is designed to be attached and detached from one of the headphone wires every time the headphones are to be stored, it would require patience and skill for the user just to store the headphones.
Another method used has been to provide a winding mechanism for the headphone cords that include an automatic retraction mechanism. In operation, a user would retract the amount of headphone wire they desired from the spool and use the headphones. Subsequently when the user is finished, the spool can automatically retract the headphone cords (e.g. similar to roller blinds). In various examples the inventor has reviewed, the headphone wires are held in a “S” position within a central spool. To wind up the headphone cord, the spring-loaded spool is automatically turned in the counter-clock-wise direction to take-up the headphone cord; and to unwind the headphone cord, the ear buds and the input jacks are pulled by the user, causing the spool of wire to turn in the clock-wise direction, for example.
Drawbacks to such techniques include that the headphone wire within the spooling mechanism is often placed under great repetitive stresses, is often stored in very stressful positions. For example, when in the stored position, the top and bottom wires portions of the “S”-shaped wire tend to be tightly pressed and bent in a 90 degree angle against the spool. These sharp wire bends potentially cause damage to the wire. As another example, when in the stored position, the ear buds and the audio input jack tend to be tightly pressed against the case of the wire spool. Further, as the user typically grips the ear buds and audio input jack and pulls to unwind the wire, this additional stress can potentially cause the wire connecting the ear buds or the input jack to break.
Yet another drawback is that such spooling mechanisms are bulky and unattractive. For example, some spooling mechanisms are bulky and when the user turns her head, the inertia of the spooling mechanism will cause the headphone cables to swing around, and pull an ear bud out from the user's ears. Additional drawbacks include that such spooling mechanisms are sometimes over an inch in diameter and a quarter inch in thickness. Accordingly, when the headphones are in use, the large spool unattractively sits prominently in the middle of the user's chest.
Another method used has been to provide a manual winding mechanism for allowing the user to manually winding the headphone wire around an object. One such example is a headphone case that has a dial-type mechanism. In operation, when the user desires to store their headphones, the user carefully places each ear bud into the earphone case, then the user dials (e.g. rewinds) the headphone wire within the headphone case, until the input jack is reached.
Drawbacks to such an approach include that it requires the user to keep their headphones in a bulky storage case until they are ready to use their headphones, As users tend to want to travel “light,” it is believed that carrying such an external storage case is highly undesirable. Further, similar to the drawbacks described above, such methods tend to generate great stress in the wires attached to the ear buds and/or in the input jack, and/or with repeated winding, the headphone wires are constantly subject to wire stretching. These types of stresses both lead to premature wire breakage. Additionally, such approaches require the user to waste time on a time consuming wind and unwind “routine” every time the user wants to use their headphones.
Still another method, not necessarily in the prior art, is the use of a piece of plastic shaped in a fish bone, dog bone or donut, or the like for winding the headphones. In operation, it appears the audio input jack is placed into a “tail” of the fish, the headphone wires are wound around the “bones,” and after the winding is complete, the ear buds are secured within the “eye” of the fish.
Drawbacks to such methods are believed to be even more significant than the ones described above. For example, each time the headphone wire is wound around the fish, the headphone cords are bent in a very sharp 180 degree angle. As this is repeated for the length of the headphone wire, very many places of the headphone wire are subject to pre-mature wire fatigue and breaking. Other drawbacks include that the input jack and/or the ear buds are repeatedly drawn tightly within the “tail” or the “eye” of the fish as the user winds the headphone wire. This may undesirably cause a break in the wire near or within the input jack and/or the ear buds. Additionally, in general, it is believed that anytime the headphone wire is wound around an object, the wires are stretched. With repeated use, the constantly stretched wires tend to prematurely break. Further, as described above, this winding and unwinding routine is very time consuming.
Yet another method has been for the user to wind the headphone cords around their fingers in a “bull horn” fashion, and to give a final tight transverse wind with the cord to secure the previously wound portion.
Drawbacks to such methods include that the winding process is very time consuming to perform when packing up their headphones. Another drawback is that it is very time consuming for a user to unwind the wires when they want to listen to music or talk on a phone. Additionally, the techniques require great discipline for the user to maintain such a routine. Yet another drawback, as discussed in the techniques above, includes that it tends to place great stress upon the headphone wires. For example, the headphone wire that is used to perform the final transverse wind is subject to a lot of stretching and stress as the user attempts to generate a nice tight wind (so the wire does not inadvertently unwind in a user's backpack, for example). Accordingly, it is believed that such repetitive stresses tend to greatly reduce the lifespan of headphones.
The problems described above for the various methods for reducing headphone tangling are magnified when the headphones include a microphone, e.g. a telephone headset. In such cases, the user must be able to quickly retrieve their headphones and answer their telephones. However, using such techniques, when answering a telephone call in a hands-free configuration, the user cannot stop to unwind, unspool, or untangle their headphone wires and cannot divert her attention from driving to do so, even at a stop light. Further, after completing such calls, if the user is driving, for example, the user also does not have time and cannot devote her attention to meticulously re-winding their headphones back into their cases. Instead, it is believed that in most cases the wires are simply dropped into a heap, waiting to be manually untangled later. Of course other current methods for conducting hands-free telephone calls are known, such as Bluetooth earpieces, and speakerphones, however, each of these have their drawbacks (e.g. RF radiation next to the brain, losing the Bluetooth earpiece, suppressing external noise, etc.).
From the above, it is seen that a headphone having reduced tangling is desired without the drawbacks described above.